Capgemini has predicted there will be a big shift in how businesses use augmented and virtual reality in the next three years as they begin to realise the benefits to their business.
The firm conducted a survey of more than 700 business executives across multiple sectors and found that 46% said they think VR and AR technologies will become a major part of their organisation in three years, while 38% said it may take up to five years to become mainstream.
The consultancy thinks that half of all businesses not already using AR and VR tech will start using it as they accept that it can enhance productivity, efficiency and safety in the workplace.
The most popular uses of AR and VR in businesses will be to offer remote real-time support to customers and to train staff.
"Immersive technology has come a long way in a short time and will continue to evolve. Faced with stiff competition from aggressive investors in the US and China, businesses need to streamline investment to seize the long-term growth potential this technology offers," Lanny Cohen, chief innovation officer at Capgemini said.
"To drive the highest business value from AR and VR, companies need a centralized governance structure, proofs of concept that are aligned with business strategy, and to be able to drive innovation and employee change management."
Capgemini's report looked into the attitudes towards AR and VR too and two-thirds suggested AR is more relevant to their business compared to VR, which correlates with current usage stats - 46% of businesses have employed AR, while only 38% are using VR.
The report noted that 82% of businesses already using AR and VR tech said it's either exceeding or meeting their expectations, but are experiencing problems when it comes to developing their existing implementations because there's a shortage of skilled people to help them grow.
